Summary of Utah's Water Reuse Guideline or Regulation for Centralized Non-potable Reuse
This page is part of the EPA’s REUSExplorer tool, which summarizes the different state level regulations or guidelines for water reuse for a variety of sources and end-uses.
The source water for this summary is Treated Municipal Wastewater.
On this page:
- Technical basis
- Applications of centralized non-potable reuse approved for use in Utah
- Water reuse category/type
- Additional context and definitions
- Centralized non-potable reuse specifications (table)
- Upcoming state law or policy
- References
- Disclaimer
This page is a summary of the state’s water reuse law or policy and is provided for informational purposes only. Please always refer to the state for the most accurate and updated information.
In Utah, centralized non-potable reuse The use of recycled water for centralized non-potable reuse where the water does not derive from the same site where it is to be reused. Can include, but is not limited to, toilet flushing, dust control, soil compaction, fire protection, commercial laundries, vehicle washing, street cleaning, snowmaking, and other similar uses. Excludes on-site non-potable water reuse and the use of recycled water for agriculture or landscaping. applications include toilet flushing, fire protection and soil compaction or dust control. The source of water treated municipal wastewater Treated wastewater effluent discharged from a centralized wastewater treatment plant of any size. Other terms referring to this source of water include domestic wastewater, treated wastewater effluent, reclaimed water, and treated sewage. is specified by the state as domestic wastewater. The write-up uses state terms when discussing sources or uses of water that may differ from the Regulations and End-Use Specifications Explorer's (REUSExplorer's) terms.
Technical basis
Utah approves the use of “treated domestic wastewater effluent” for other centralized non-potable reuse applications including toilet flushing, fire protection, soil compaction and dust control (Utah Admin. Code r. 317-3-11). All applicable provisions of the Clean Water Act (CWA) (33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.), including its implementing regulations, must be met in addition to any state water quality standards. Treatment requirements and performance standards are applied for the removal of pathogen and chemical contaminants for centralized non-potable reuse applications. The technical basis for the removal of pathogen and chemical contaminants is not explicitly specified.
Applications of centralized non-potable reuse approved for use in Utah
Utah Admin. Code r. 317-3-11 defines the following approved centralized non-potable reuse applications:
- Toilet flushing (Type I)
- Fire protection (Type I)
- Soil compaction or dust control in construction areas (Type II)
Water reuse category/type
The various classes of reclaimed water treatment are defined by their respective treatment requirements and applicable performance standards. The respective treatment requirements are briefly summarized for centralized non-potable reuse applications:
- For Type I “treated domestic wastewater effluent”, the treatment requirements are secondary treatment, filtration and disinfection via chlorination, ozone, UV radiation or other chemical disinfectants.
- For Type II “treated domestic wastewater effluent”, the treatment requirements are secondary treatment and disinfection via chlorination, ozone, UV radiation or other chemical disinfectants.
Additional context and definitions
Utah requires that all new (installed after 2013) buried “treated domestic wastewater effluent” pipe within a public domain, including service lines, valves and other appurtenances and all valve covers and above ground facilities must be colored purple and marked to differentiate treated effluent facilities from potable water facilities (Utah Admin. Code r. 317-3-11). Where treated effluent is stored, warning signs must be installed and read, “Warning: Treated Wastewater – Do Not Drink” and include the international symbol for “Do Not Drink”.
Centralized non-potable reuse specifications
Summary of Utah's Centralized Non-potable Reuse Specifications
| Recycled Water Class/Category | Source Water Type | Water Quality Parameter | Specification | Sampling/Monitoring Requirements (Frequency of monitoring; site/ location of sample; quantification methods)* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Type I (toilet flushing, fire protection) |
Domestic wastewater |
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) |
≤10 mg/L (monthly arithmetic mean) |
Weekly composite sampling; composite samples shall be comprised of at least six flow proportionate samples taken over a 24-hour period. |
|
Turbiditya |
≤2 NTU (daily arithmetic mean) ≤5 NTU (single sample maximum) |
Continuous monitoring prior to disinfection |
||
|
Total suspended solids (TSS) |
≤5 mg/L |
Continuous monitoring prior to disinfection |
||
|
E. coli |
none detected (weekly median) ≤9 organisms/100 mL (single sample maximum) |
Daily grab sampling |
||
|
pH |
6–9 |
Daily grab samples or continuous monitoring |
||
|
Total residual chlorine |
≥1.0 mg/L |
Continuous monitoring after 30 minutes contact time at peak flow (after disinfection and before the treated effluent goes into the distribution system) |
||
|
Type II (soil compaction, dust control) |
Domestic wastewater |
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) |
≤25 mg/L (monthly arithmetic mean) |
Weekly composite sampling; composite samples shall be comprised of at least six flow proportionate samples taken over a 24-hour period. |
|
Total suspended solids (TSS) |
≤25 mg/L (monthly arithmetic mean) ≤35 mg/L (weekly mean) |
Daily composite sampling |
||
|
E. coli |
≤126 organisms/100 mL (weekly median) ≤500 organisms/100 mL (single sample maximum) |
Daily grab sampling |
||
|
pH |
6–9 |
Daily grab sampling or continuous monitoring |
Source = Utah Admin. Code r. 317-3-11
* Information about sampling and monitoring requirements such as frequency, site and quantification methods not specifically listed in the table was not explicitly specified in the state-specific regulations.
a If the turbidity standard cannot be met, but it can be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Director that there exists a consistent correlation between turbidity and total suspended solids, then an alternate turbidity standard may be established (Utah Admin. Code r. 317-3-11).
Upcoming state law or policy
No upcoming regulations pertaining to centralized non-potable reuse were found for Utah.
References:
Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.
Use, Land Application and Alternate Methods for Disposal of Treated Wastewater Effluents, Utah Admin. Code r. 317-3-11.
Please contact us at waterreuse@epa.gov if the information on this page needs updating or if this state is updating or planning to update its laws and policies and we have not included that information on the news page.